Once there was a girl...She decided she didn't want to have kids...or get married before the age of 27. Then she met a boy.....a handsome boy.....a boy that made her feel things she had never felt on every possible level. They had fun together. Then one December day, they found out they were going to be parents. Many tears were shed, many dreams gone, many questions remaining. One day, said girl asked said boy if he had ever considered adoption. He said. "No. I could not imagine living in a world where this child was not mine, and I don't think you could either." and just like that, the fleeting thought was gone. To this day, that girl is unbelievably and eternally grateful to that boy for knowing that even though she didn't necessarily know what she wanted, or how she felt, or how it was all going to work out,...he knew better.
Fast forward 8 years
I, or anybody that has ever met Cohen David Ayres, could not imagine a world without him in their lives. The hearts he has touched, the greatness still yet to be achieved, the whales still yet to be saved are all thankful for Cohen. And although possibly having another family raise him was a fleeting thought, I'll tell you what was NEVER a thought, him never getting the chance at life.
Abortion--the second most performed surgery in America, just under circumcisions. Millions of babies are killed each year and it is "okay". Many people are saying that abortion is a "non-issue" in this years election....when is killing of the innocent ever an non issue?! The right to defend life is always an issue. The minute we stop defending life, then we will have a bigger issue. So what is an issue with today's election?
Religious freedom.
I am Catholic. I am a proud, devout, practicing Catholic. I am Catholic before I am anything else, including American. If I was relocated to a different country, I would still be Catholic. I am not a perfect Catholic. I struggle everyday with living exactly how Christ wants me to live. But I try. And I think what bothers me the most about others in my faith, is the convenience of their Catholicism. The "I'm Catholic but I'll go to Mass every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation if I'm not working, or don't have practice, or am not hung over, or don't have dinner plans." or "I'm Catholic but I don't believe this or that." So today, you can imagine my immense sadness when I hear people, especially Catholics say "I'm "Catholic" but I'm voting for Obama because such and such is more important and abortion is a non-issue." So now we have our "issue" to consider-religious freedom.
Once there was a little girl, who was beautiful and full of zest and lots of words and lots and lots and lots of dance moves. That little girl cannot wait to be a mommy one day. That girl is 6.
Now lets say said girl, 8 years down the road is living in Oregon. In Oregon, under the new health care plan (also known as Obamacare) she can get irreversible sterilization at the young age of 14 WITHOUT PARENTAL CONSENT and it is paid for by the government. Fast forward 20 years from now, when said girl wants babies but cannot have them because at the age of 14 she made a decision that she did not know the enormity of. As a parent, what do you tell her? "well you see, when you were six, I was more worried about taxing the higher class and school vouchers and food stamps, then I was about personally funding bills like this one. I even voted for the man whose name it bares, I'm sorry, back then IMMEDIATE issues were what I was voting on. Making sure all the kids' lives I was effecting immediately were more important than you, my daughter, in the future. Luckily for you, I also helped vote to make Catholic institutions have to pay for birth control too, that way I could also make others, who believe it is wrong, have to pay for others to not have babies either. But don't worry sugar I will still call myself "Catholic", even though the golden voting rule of taking the biggest issue (Sanctity of Life) and voting in the best possible way to better that, was something I simply did not worry about." Imagine explaining all of this to that little girl one day?
At the old age of 14 I had no idea what I wanted....even at the age of 20, i still did not know what i wanted, but luckily for me, I had someone who knew better. Be the person who knows better.
I can't sit here and tell you I am crazy about my candidate. I'm not, but I do know who has proven he does not care a bit about my faith, or the sanctity of life, or religious freedom and I simply cannot vote for him. Because one day, you see, I'll have to stand before someone else and take responsibility for all of my actions and decisions and I would like to proudly say "yes, God. I defended life above all things. When it was tough, i defended it. when other issues seemed more important to the world, i defended it. When it came down to filling out a ballot and voting for someone who was more likely to defend life, I voted to defend it.
Because I know you would want better."
"America you are beautiful . . . and blessed . . . . The ultimate test of your greatness is the way you treat every human being, but especially the weakest and most defenseless. If you want equal justice for all and true freedom and lasting peace, then America, defend life." -Blessed John Paul II
*I do not need comments about the greatness of the current commander or you justifying why you are voting for him. all comments will be deleted. This is my blog and this is my entry about why I am voting for who I am voting for.
